The Prince of Demons

Miril

I was laying peacefully in my cave with Izol standing nearby at attention. He was looking so diligently at the entrance with his tails flicking back and forth as he kept his eyes from blinking. Has Izol blinked in the last two minutes? There was a chance he forgot to blink; I still wondered what miracle of the Lords of all the children I let him name it was the one that took after him the most. Maybe they decided to let him ordain the one who takes after him the most through some divine insight. Ikol is a perfect copy of him in nearly every regard. Now that I thought about it, what was he on guard for? Did I tell him to keep an eye out for something when I wasn't thinking? Maybe I did and Izol's been doing it since. I better check in just to be safe.

"Izol, why are you staring at the entrance?" I inquired, hoping it wasn't because I forgot that I gave him a command.

"Ikol said sona sona, so I'm wata wata for when he topi topi." Izol answered. Ikol was going to be gone for so much longer than a sona sona.

"Ikol began his <Journey>, he will be back in around a year." I informed Izol. Izol looked at me, mouth agape as he looked ready to cry.

"What? Lon lon? Not sona sona?" Izol probed, sounding upset. I explained it to him five times, even slowly the fourth and fifth time.

"Yes, lon lon. Come on, stop staring at the entrance." I directed him gently, trying to coax him from the entrance.

"Will Ikol be okay? What if it rains?" Izol asked. Now he was concerned; not when I told him Ikol was about to leave for his <Journey>.

"He has Lux with him. I'm confident she'll make sure he stays as dry as possible." I assured Izol. For her sake, Ikol better return happy and joyful.

"She's the one you have been training, right? The one from Tenten." Izol checked, making sure he remembered correctly.

"I have not been training her; I simply am repaying the kindness of her teachers helping Ikol by giving her a few pointers." I snapped at Izol. He cocked his head in confusion.

"But you always seem so happy after giving her pointers." Izol retorted. Nope, not possible.

"Izze izze." I spat at Izol.

"Why? What did I say?" Izol asked sounding befuddled.

"I do not like helping LUX!" I growled at Izol.

"But you have your cher cher face after." Izol defended himself.

"TAKE THAT BACK!" I ordered Izol. Why did everyone insist I liked Lux?

"You keep visiting and checking in on her daily for the last few years though." Izol continued. This blasphemous discussion was stopping now.

"I was checking on Ikol! She just happened to be there!" I corrected him. My blood was boiling.

"You only checked on Ikol every few days though until Lux showed up." Izol claimed. I was seconds from swatting some sense into him.

"I needed to make sure she wasn't bossing him around. Ikol is easily impressionable and a bit naïve." I explained to Izol.

"Why would she boss him around?" Izol probed, not following my claim.

"She is a cruel, vindictive, and spiteful little <Sentinel Lord> who thinks she can boss around someone because she's stronger than them." I clarified for Izol.

"But how would you describe Lux?" Izol inquired. I glared at him with the dirtiest expression I could manage; he looked at me with large pouting eyes.

"Why are you glaring like that?" Izol whined, putting his paws up in case I decided to swat him.

"I was describing Lux!" I spat at Izol. Izol looked confused again after I said that.

"But you were describing you." Izol challenged. He was testing every last drop of patience I possessed today.

"WHAT?! I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN!" I challenged Izol.

"But it sounded like how beings used to describe you." Izol repeated while shielding his head. Why would he remember THOSE details?!

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TODAY?!" I inquired, trying to grasp why my husband decided to be extra dense today.

"I don't know what you mean." Izol cried, looking completely lost.

"You seem to claim Lux is somehow similar to me. You have never met her, so what would you know?" I growled at my moron.

"When you and Ikol both talked about her it reminded me of when my mom was saying things about you. She sounds similar to how you used to be." Izol explained. HOW DARE HE BRING UP THAT WOMAN?!

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"She was an awful narcissist who enjoyed thrashing me when I was weaker than her!" I pointed out. Izol cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Isn't that what you've been doing to Lux when you give her pointers?" Izol probed. I think I must have misheard him; there was no way he just compared my teaching Lux how to properly defend and reinforce her body to the thrashings his mother used to dish out.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO PISS ME OFF?!" I checked, trying to grasp my husband's sudden desire to die.

"No, I was being tutta tutta like you told me to be!" Izol defended himself.

"Stop comparing me to your mother! And Lux to me! There are no similarities between any of these beings!" I snapped at Izol.

"It just seems similar to me." Izol whimpered, not liking I was raising my voice.

"I'm sorry Izol. I just do not like being compared to Lux, or your mother for that matter." I told him after taking a few deep breaths.

"Mom used to say similar things to Dad." Izol added on. No, I refuse this reality.

"Let's change topics before I start swatting." I suggested. Izol clearly wanted to make my blood boil today.

"Do you think Ikol will be able to keep Lux around? He seems so happy to have a friend." Izol chimed. She was nowhere near good enough for Ikol. Wait, that did sound like Izol's mother. NOOOOOOOOO! I cannot be like her. I cannot be like her.

"She is from Tenebrae; she will likely go home eventually." I pointed out. Yea, she won't stick around. I don't have to worry about that.

"Ikol could probably follow her by the sounds of it. He could go to Tenten." Izol said happily. Wait, no, no, not possible.

"Why would he leave Phestia? He is happy here!" I snapped. Ikol would not leave home, that was impossible. That was not ever happening.

"He may want to adventure. Who knows, he may like being near her." Izol answered. Was he implying that he would live with that thing permanently?

"Those two will never be mates as long as I'm alive. He will find a useful wife who does not need my help in learning to fight!" I spat at Izol. I was trying so hard to change topics and not swat some sense into the idiot.

"That sounds like Mom!" Izol pointed out. Never! Not possible I was quoting that bezka!

"STOP COMPARING ME TO YOUR MOTHER!" I yelled at Izol. Izol found some resolve as he stared calmly back at me.

"Stop quoting her then!" Izol shot back. I felt my eyes twitching viciously as I debated if violence was now an acceptable negotiation tactic.

"I am not! I am saying my opinion of that trash called Lux!" I defended myself.

"Just switch the names and it's the same!" Izol insisted. Today was the day that my husband tragically passed.

"That is enough!" I snarled, paw ready to strike.

"Uxe uxe?" Izol tried, realizing how furious I currently was. Now of all times?

"Why are you in the mood?!" I challenged Izol. Izol had a face full of hope at the moment.

"You are so attractive when you're mad." Izol replied, nodding his head up and down.

"Not now, we are having a conversation." I told him calmly.

"But you are so radiant, so glowing, and so breathtakingly beautiful. Plus, your strength is so amazing." Izol tried, continuing to look so hopeful. His worship always was nice.

"Praising me while helpful is not getting you what you want." I informed him. Izol made a pouting face in response.

"But you were really going." Izol grumbled, slumping his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I was being irrational. I just get annoyed when I'm compared to things weaker than me, or your mom. I should not have vented it at you." I apologized to Izol.

"It's fine, you just are missing Ikol. He was always your favorite." Izol pointed out. He might've been dense, but he always knew what to say. I pat his head to reward him.

"You're right." I confessed. Unlike the rest of our kids, he's not a schemer nor someone who tries to come up with master plans when he can't win head on.

"He'll be back soon! With Lux!" Izol chimed cheerfully.

"Do not need to ruin the statement with Lux." I informed him as I stretched a bit.

"It wouldn't hurt you to try and be nicer to her, especially given you like her." Izol quipped while nodding his head.

"I do not like her; she is at most adequate. Do I need to beat that into your skull?" I threatened Izol. He was giving me his goofy smirk back.

"But you have lunch with her frequently. You won't even have a snack with Agala, Zii, or Ufr's partners." Izol pointed out with a smile.

"She and Ikol are not partners. They are friends. Nothing more. Stop saying and implying more." I snapped at Izol. Izol was bobbing his head back and forth.

"But I like her. Ikol seems so happy with his friend, and you like her too. We should invite her over with Ikol after their <Journey>." Izol suggested. I will not slap my husband. I will not slap my husband.

"Why do you keep insisting about talking on this?" I sighed before I became violent with him.

"Someone isn't being honest. We promised we'd be honest with each other." Izol stated matter of factually with a firm head nod.

"I AM BEING HONEST!" I roared at him.

"Someone has their cher cher face and hum after teaching someone and refuses to admit it." Izol insisted. Why was he so stubborn today?

"If I say I Lux is the least intolerable of our children's friends, will you drop it?" I bartered. Izol turned his head defiantly.

"Nope." Izol quipped. I let out an annoyed sigh.

"Fine, Lux is a semi talented <Sentinel Lord> who at least can be friends with our kids." I confessed. That felt wrong. I began retching and dry heaving as the words left my mouth. Was I seeing waves in my vision? My body shook and shuddered for a moment as I processed that.

"Was that so hard?" Izol taunted with a smile. He may be dumb, but he does know what to stick to.

"Yes, and I am never saying those words ever again." I snarled at him.

"Yay!" Izol cheered, bobbing his stupid head back and forth some more in joy.

"I will make you pay for this." I assured Izol. Izol seemed unbothered by my threat.

"I know you won't! You love me too much." Izol stated with his dopey grin.

"You really are betting on that." I pointed out. Izol was giving me his idiotic smile back.

"Someone is a big softy beneath that prickly exterior." Izol taunted. He was trying to meet Utol personally today.

"You always claim that, but I have yet to see it." I shot back, trying to dissuade him.

"Because someone refuses to acknowledge when they're nice." Izol retorted. He even used acknowledge correctly. Izol was looking pleased with himself too as he knew he used the word correctly.

"We will agree to disagree." I tried. Izol let out an amused snort.

"We both know I'm right." Izol teased me. Miracles happened once in a while; even Izol could be correct.

"We will never see." I informed him.

"I think you'll be happy to see both of them when they return. Ikol more but still happy to see both." Izol challenged. He is really on that today.

"Not going to happen." I insisted as I sat next to him. Izol leaned happily against me, nuzzling his face along me. I let him wrap a few of our tails together.

"Sure. Sure." Izol replied while setting his head on me.

"You sure are stubborn sometimes." I pointed out.

"Do you think she'll win the strongest of the <Journey>?" Izol probed as he was happily snuggled against me.

"She better after how much I helped her." I snapped as I leaned my head on him.